Sunday, July 10, 2016

Shakespeare Sez

Although I’m an avid reader, I have yet to tackle the
complete works of William Shakespeare.I’ve
enjoyed reading several of his plays and have seen a number of theatrical
performances over the years. One of my favorite lines is from “Romeo and Juliet”:“What’s in a name?That which we call a rose by any other name would
smell as sweet.”

But when it comes to names, whether it’s the name of your
business, an event, the title of a novel or short story, or your character
names, I have to disagree with the Bard. Names have always been important to
me. My own name is odd and great fodder for a joke or two but hopefully it’s
memorable.

In addition to my full time job, I also teach a business
class at the local college for people interested in becoming entrepreneurs. One
of the topics we cover early in the semester is what you’re going to call the
company you create. It needs to be memorable. Preferably something short and to
the point. It needs to have some reference to what your business is all about,
so people seeing the name will make an instantaneous connection. Or close to
it.

For example, this summer I’ve participated in two events.
One was the Ann Arbor Book Festival.Very distinctive. You knew where it was and what it was about. This was
a very successful endeavor that drew a lot of people interested in checking out
the various booths, talking to authors and buying a few books. It was my second
year attending and I’m already looking forward to 2017’s festival.

Yesterday I was one of 40 authors at the Tulip City Author
Event. We were packed into a conference room in a very nice hotel in downtown
Holland, MI. Everyone was anxiously awaiting the crowd for the six hours we
were scheduled to be there. Sadly, there was no crowd. By the bitter end, barely
twenty potential customers wandered through.Few books were sold by any author.

So what’s in a name?In this case, everything.The
name of the event made it look like it was a conference for authors, not a book
sale. Nothing indicated it was a chance to buy a book, talk to a local author
about their work, or pick up some swag.Several disappointed authors packed it in shortly after noon. My darling
wife even walked over to the local visitor’s center to see if they had any
information about it. She was told they had a flier but had no idea that the
public could come in.

Live and learn. I’ll chalk it up to experience. But if they
attempt this next year with the same name, I’m gonna pass.Maybe I’ll read Hamlet instead.

Hometown Reads

Why 319?

Devious

Vanishing Act

Fleeing Beauty

Fade Away

Pages

About Me

Yes,
my name really is Mark Love. I am a Michigan native, who up until recently
lived in the Metro Detroit area, where crime and corruption always seem to be
at the top of everyone's news. So there's always the chance to find something
that can trigger a story idea and enough interesting characters to jump start
your imagination.

While I have worked in many
industries and career paths over the years, one of my passions has always been
writing. I was even able to parlay that passion for a while, working as a
freelance reporter for a couple of newspapers in the Detroit area. Writing
features and hard news helped me hone my talents. But while newspaper worked
was interesting and paid a few bills, it was a far cry from the fiction writing
that I enjoy the most.

I've always been drawn to mysteries
and thrillers, the kind of stories that have a fast pace, that keep you moving
and keep you guessing as to what's going to take place next. Mix those in with
some elements of crime, perhaps a glimpse of the seedier side and you've got
me. So it's always been one of my goals to write stories like that.